The revised statutory guidance, issued following an initial consultation with stakeholders over the summer, sets out steps that local authorities must follow in providing the free entitlement.
Nurseries that offer the free entitlement will not be able to charge top-up fees or impose conditions on parents, such as that children attend for more than 15 hours a week or asking parents to pay for food or uniforms, or else risk having their funding withdrawn.
The guidance advises that free entitlement funding be prioritised on settings rated good and above, and that those rated below good should be funded to secure 'sufficiency, flexibility and accessibility'. Local authorities are to offer quality improvement support to settings that are graded below good, and they can withdraw funding from settings that are not improving the quality of their provision.
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